Multicultural Macaroons Recipe

More Macaroon Recipes

Macaroons have found themselves in the history of several cultures. Italian Jews like their version because they can make a Passover-friendly version without flour or a leavening agent.

Americans have such a love for them they've created a very popular candy bar, the Almond Joy, which is constructed of a coconut macaroon-like center and a milk chocolate coating (I'm hoping you've heard of it). Turkish sweet teeth enjoy a cookie made from ground bitter almonds and egg whites. Unlike the American version, they are light-as-a-feather and very crispy, similar to a one of my all-time favorites, the Italian amaretti cookie.

For this holiday baking season, I've decided to create a collision of cultures with this recipe for a soft and chewy coconut macaroon, made even better by adding one of the greatest ingredients ever—almond paste! The result is a not-too-sweet confection that has an intense coconut and almond flavor, with a slight hint of caramel.

So no matter what holiday you'll be celebrating this season, give this recipe a try. It's super-easy, requires not a single fancy kitchen gadget (unless you consider your hands fancy), and would be a perfect recipe to make with kids.

But be warned: these cookies are highly-addictive. After making a batch at home, I proceeded to eat about a dozen of my 18, leaving very little for others. You may want to consider a double-batch yourself.

Coconut Macaroons

About the author: Jenny McCoy is the pastry chef at A Voce in New York City. When she's not covered in flour or frying bomboloni, you can find her strolling the streets of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with her little dog Olive.

Jenny enrolled in the Baking and Pastry Program at Chicago’s Kendall College, just after graduating from high school, on a whim. Knowing she wasn’t ready to enter college proper, she decided, “If I like baking, I’ll have a job; if I don’t, I’ll know how to make great birthday cakes—where’s the harm?” Lucky for Jenny, she fell in love with the kitchen and landed positions in a variety of Chicago’s top restaurants, including Charlie Trotter’s, Blackbird, Gordon and Bittersweet Bakery. It was in these kitchens where Jenny learned to refine her palate and develop her talent for composing seasonal desserts.

Following her formative experiences in fine dining, Jenny took a brief hiatus from professional baking and traveled to various countries in Europe, South and Central America to broaden her culinary vocabulary. With an interest in food beyond the kitchen, she also returned to school and completed a BA in Food Writing at DePaul University.

When Jenny returned to the pastry kitchen, it was in New Orleans. There, she had the opportunity to oversee three restaurant pastry departments for Emeril Lagasse, as well as contribute weekly to the Cooking Blog at Emerils.com. While working at Emeril's Delmonico, Jenny was a nominee for the PastryScoop.com Best Dessert Menu Award in 2006. It wasn’t long, however, before she felt the pull of New York City’s vibrant culinary scene; she moved north a few years later.

Since her arrival, Jenny’s worked in New York City as the opening pastry chef at Marc Forgione, and for A Voce, where she ran pastry operations for both their Madison Square and Columbus Circle locations. She then moved on to work for Tom Colicchio at his flagship restaurant, Craft, where she was influenced by her varied pastry background and knowledge of ingredients and flavors. In September 2011, ten years after Craft opened, she helped the restaurant earn its second three-star review from The New York Times. She was also awarded the 2011 NYC Rising Star Pastry Chef Award from StarChefs.com.

In 2012, Jenny stepped out of professional kitchen to co-found Cissé Trading Company, a line of gourmet and fair trade hot cocoa and baking mixes; and to work with leading companies such as Starbucks, the Almond Board of California, and Chinet as a tastemaker and brand ambassador. A year later, her products can be found in 500+ stores nationally, including Whole Foods Market.

Currently, Jenny is a chef-instructor at The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE); just published her first cookbook, Desserts for Every Season; is the co-chair of The Center for Advanced Pastry Studies (CAPS) at ICE; volunteers to help change school lunch programs in the NYC Department of Education with Wellness in the Schools; and is eagerly awaiting the launch of her online class series at Craftsy.com. Jenny also consults with small food producers to help them commercialize their products for grocery store sales. Throughout her career, Jenny has appeared in many print and media outlets for her work as an authority in the baking and pastry industry.

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